


Come to My Dance

by tod_von_mii



Series: Raison d'être [3]
Category: Elisabeth - Levay/Kunze
Genre: Der Tod quoting Totentänze, F/M, Sisi prefers her fanon Achilles, We've all had an "I spoke then I thought" moment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:07:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25042156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tod_von_mii/pseuds/tod_von_mii
Summary: Der Tod crashes Sisi's wedding to send his condolences. As the old joke goes, their night together led to dancing!
Relationships: Elisabeth von Österreich-Ungarn | Elisabeth of Bavaria/Der Tod | Death (Elisabeth)
Series: Raison d'être [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1813564
Kudos: 7





	Come to My Dance

Everyone in the room froze, reminding Sisi of a photograph that she had the misfortune to be trapped in. A cloud of mist formed into a familiar humanoid shape, and only the fact that she was wearing heels prevented her from running towards der Tod.

"Have you come to take me away?" It was another one of her "I spoke, then I thought" moments.

He shook his head, but smiled like she was an enthusiastic pupil (which she never was, not in her whole life). "Since I am the one who rules the whole world/Come and hear my advice/Because I wish to lighten you of this load." On that note, he came towards her and wrapped her in his arms. "I will take you in the end, but for now, remember your purpose, for which we both need you alive. But _you_ need _me_ , so here I am."

"It's good to see a familiar face," Sisi sighed. "Well, most people here share blood with me, but unlike them, you comfort me."

Der Tod nodded. "My presence calms certain people, so I'm not surprised that you're among their ranks. And you looked like your nerves were strangling you."

"They were. I would like to stay like this for a while."

He nuzzled her cheek, and his stubble tickled her skin. "Oh, that can be arranged."

His words drew out her emotions like he was pressing grapes into wine. She sobbed and spoke of how being among the Viennese court seemed to be as much of a death-defying stunt as walking a tightrope was, but it wasn't half as fun. How even the celebrations were celebrations of the one thousand and one ways she could fumble and fall. How doing what was considered right made her feel dead inside, and weren't you supposed to lose your soul through evil actions, not good ones? How she wasn't allowed to be cross with her aunt (who was legally her mother-in-law now) because she was only doing everything for Sisi's own good.

"I wish I were as bold as Achilles, who hated his enemies as opposed to fearing them. Or at least, that's how I think of him."

"The Hofburg will be your Troy, trust me, but emulating his maniac rage would be counterproductive." He pulled back, gazed around the room. "Each attendee is like a crack in the brittle vase of the empire, and they come together to make deeper cracks. You're more like a strategically thrown rock."

"Do you think they suspect me of having ulterior motives?"

"They're far too _sophisticated_ to entertain the notion that you have a supernatural sponsor, but they think you're unsuited for the job because you're a peasant princess in over her head because of a charming prince's irrefusable offer." Der Tod winked. "And perhaps you are, but your prince is in another castle."

"And I'm only doing what is expected of me as a princess." She frowned. "My cousin is such a nice man, but I can't repay his kindness with devotion."

"Nor should you. The court thinks you return his feelings because they see what they want to see, and they haven't seen you with me." Der Tod glanced at Franz Joseph, who looked simultaneously stiff and loose like a marionette without strings. "It is not his fault that he was born to this life, but he must be undermined all the same."

"Deception is such a burden. But the alternative is despair."

"Well put. But enough talk of the Kaiser growing horns." His eyes warmed his smirk into a smile. "In Rome, the priests of Mars used to honour him by dancing. Would you like to honour our war with a dance?"

Sisi looked to the left, looked to the right, then looked back to der Tod. "Maybe I'll enjoy dancing like I should if I dance with you."

"I certainly hope so. It's a humble Hungarian dance, an _oláhos_ \- nothing the court would approve of. We circle each other like so..."

As she kept her attention on him, she fell into the easy rhythm, and through mimicry, the dance seeped into her limbs. When to clap, when to snap her fingers, and how to move her feet. He sped up the dance, but only a little, and when she noticed they moved like a well-oiled machine, her face broke out into a grin.

He smiled in a way that made the skin around his eyes crinkle. "Very good... A woman dancing an _oláhos_ normally holds her hands at her hips when she isn't clapping them, but being proper was never a priority for us." He eyed the necklace Sisi had been given. "That looks entirely too heavy... may I take a look at it?"

"I've wanted to throw it in my aunt's face all day, so yes, you may." Sisi gave the jewelry to der Tod and stepped back as if it were poisonous.

He pocketed the chain, and from another pocket, pulled out a different one - instead of a cross, it was decorated with a raven and a seagull. He held his hand over it and moved his thumb in a circle, then it appeared to look like her engagement necklace.

"With a little glamour, this looks to all the world like that trinket the Kaiser gave you, but now, it's your physical reminder of the promise you made me, your _real_ husband." He handed it to her, and she quickly secured it around her neck. "When you touch it or examine it closely, it will reveal its true shape to you."

She clenched a fist around the counterfeit cross, and sure enough, she felt the outline of the two lovebirds instead of the Roman torture device. "Thank you for lightening my burden, in multiple senses."

"Of course. I enjoy making you happy and outdoing your cousin." He leaned in close, whispering in her ear. "Now I must leave for the moment, but remember - time is on our side. When I take him by the hand, he must come to my dance. He is your mortal partner, but you and me are eternal."

Der Tod vanished into thin air, and the stuffy, stiff celebration resumed. But at least she had something to sincerely smile about.


End file.
